Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-01-28
THE PASSAGE OF THE INTER
STATE COMMERCE. BILL.

IL -
The Inter-Ssates Commerce bill regu-
lating railroad charges has. after a ten
wears fight by Mr.. Reagan of Texas. Its
author. passed both houses of congress
and oaly awaits the signature of the Pres
ident 10 become a law. 1t becomes
operative in sixty days after such signing.
As il stands, it is not such an unmixed
victory for the people as it was when it
| passed the House. 1t got into the Senate
and there there was tackled on to it
proyiso which makes the long and short
| haul provision subject to the modification
or revocation of commission of live
[ 81. 500 commissioners, when they shall be
appealed to and think proper so to do.
| In a word it gives five men autocratic power
| oyer both the interests of the people and
chose of the railroads. power that no
| i've men and no number of men should
nave. Whether it is constitutional for
congress to delegateaits powers to COM
mission is q matter which will doubtless
re tested by the railroads if the commits
5on DOES not suit them, and by the people
| if it doss suit the railroads. That the move
| which has been in the hearts of the people
| for ten years should at last be made the
subject of vlcarious legislation is disap-
| pointment. The bill as it goes TO the
| President is the outcome of conference
of the two houses, and the report of the
conference received every vote in the
| House except Al. The Virginia delegation
was unanimous for it, save Mr.. Libby,
| (Rep.) of the 2nG district. The early date
for putting it into operation Is also to our
mind mistake, and gives the railroads
a., too short time to make ready for the
change; though that will not make great
deal Of difference for the railroads are as
APT to make all the trouble for the bill
they can, yaar off, as now. We give
4, elsewhere summary of the law, remark
I ing that 1T is a great, if not hnal step,
| towards proper adjustment OF the rela-
| tions of the railroads to the people. That
after experiment it will be changed in
many respects, is certain, but the changes
Will be ma de with Difference to the, wishes
of the people as much as Of the corpora
lions, something which could not be said
| in the past. 1t will be remembered that
this law does not affect railroads which
run il one State only, and it now remains
for the legislatures of those States which
haye not already done so to pass laws reg
ulating such roads as are in their borders.
Twenty-six States have already passed
such laws, Virginia is one of those which
have not.
1t is probable that OF a careful perusal
of the provisions of the bill, the reader
will be struck with the small, though i'm
portant measure of justice to the people,
which had been defeated IN four congresses
before this one. 1t does not prevent the
railroad from charging, as all merchants
do. less for carload than for little
underground lot. 1t only provides that
with either, the great or small lot it shall
not cost more to transport it from Stanton
to Richmond, for instance, than it does
from Chicago TO Richmond. After all, it
only puts our farmers and shippers in the
| Eastern States on an equality with those
of the W estern States, and it was short
sighted in the represen tatives ever to OPP
pose a measure of justice that must in the
end, of its own force work out its own sal
| Walton.